Author Archive

Nick Wakeman

Editor-in-Chief, Washington Technology

Nick Wakeman
Nick Wakeman is the editor-in-chief of Washington Technology and joined the publication in 1996 as a staff writer. He's a graduate of Bridgewater College and earned a masters degree from American University. When he isn't writing about government contractors, he's thinking of cooking large pieces of meat over fire and dreaming of ways to embarrass his two sons. Follow him on Twitter: @nick_wakeman
Acquisition

GSA taking measured approach to SEWP takeover

Continuity is the General Services Administration's top priority as it embeds staff in NASA’s SEWP office to lay groundwork to transfer the $60 billion IT vehicle.

Acquisition

GSA’s centralization push is a return to its roots, not just a Trump priority

The General Services Administration's acting acquisition chief says the consolidation drive mirrors the founding mission laid out by the Hoover Commission 77 years ago.

Modernization

NASA names 2,100 winners for SEWP VI

The $60 billion government-wide IT program expands the scope of what agencies can buy and how they can buy as the vehicle's proposed transition to the General Services Administration looms.

Acquisition

Revolutionary FAR Overhaul moves to formal rulemaking with first batch of proposed rules

Four proposed rules covering 13 Federal Acquisition Regulation parts are to be published Tuesday. Small business rules and others are on the way.

Defense

DOD excels at prototyping. Getting to production is another story.

Acquisition reform may be the bridge, but the paths from prototype to funded program remains unclear.

Modernization

Oracle wins $396M federal HR systems overhaul contract

The Office of Personnel Management is using the contract to consolidate more than 100 systems into a single platform covering 2 million federal employees.

Emerging Tech

Air Force taps Salesforce’s Army contract for personnel modernization work

The enterprise license agreement is part of a $5.6 billion vehicle and will bring agentic artificial intelligence to workforce and logistics management.

Acquisition

Commerce goes direct to hyperscalers with $4.1B cloud pact

The department cites artificial intelligence, weather modeling and scale as reasons to narrow the competition.

Acquisition

Judge blocks DOD's ban on Anthropic, calls it First Amendment retaliation

The court finds the Pentagon's supply chain risk designation was punishment for public criticism, not a legitimate security threat.

Acquisition

Microsoft takes Anthropic's side in DOD fight, warns it sets a new precedent

In a court briefing, Microsoft argues the Defense Department is using a national security policy designed for foreign adversaries against a U.S. company over a contract dispute.

Emerging Tech

NASA seeks extension of SEWP V to Sept. 30

The agency says it needs more time to finish evaluations for the IT product recompete and resolve protests at the Government Accountability Office.

People

SEWP’s long-tenured leader is calling it a career

Before leaving government, Joanne Woytek is giving herself enough time to see the popular IT contract's next iteration through protests and into launch.

Acquisition

SBA boots 628 more companies from 8(a) program

Total termination actions now represent 18% of the small business contracting program as the Trump administration's crackdown continues.

Acquisition

FAA launches competition to modernize aging IT portfolio

The Federal Aviation Administration is using a challenge-based acquisition strategy that will require vendors to demonstrate, not just describe, their approach.

Acquisition

Oracle books $88M Air Force Cloud One contract

This award follows a $581 million contract with Amazon Web Services as the Air Force continues to build out its multi-cloud infrastructure.

Modernization

NITAAC finally pulls the plug on CIO-SP4

The troubled $50 billion IT contract vehicle has faced hundreds of protests that the agency could never fully resolve.

Acquisition

GSA quietly rolls out CMMC-like cybersecurity framework for contractors

The General Services Administration's new requirements for protecting controlled unclassified information apply immediately to new contracts, at the contracting officer's discretion.

Acquisition

Salesforce signs $5.5B contract with the Army

The vehicle will be open to the entire Defense Department and broadens access to the company’s artificial intelligence, data and cloud technologies over the next 10 years.

Acquisition

SBA suspends 1,000 8(a) contractors for missing data submission deadline

These companies now have until Feb. 19 to submit financial records, but their reinstatement remains uncertain.